Puzzle 017 is Busted Umbrella (The Broken Brolly in the UK English version), a 35-picarat Multiple Choice puzzle hidden in the entrance hall of Kingsbrook Academy during the Chapter 2 flashback to Hershel Layton's school days. You find it by tapping the purple umbrella in the basket on the right side of the hall. A friend's favorite umbrella has been wrecked by a gust of wind, and he wants a new one with exactly the same design. The touch screen shows the broken umbrella, the top screen shows five similar umbrellas labeled A to E, and you tap the letter of the one that matches.
This page covers story Puzzle 017 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask on Nintendo 3DS, using the North American text, with pictures rebuilt from the game's own art. The UK English version has the same umbrellas and the same answer, with slightly different wording. If you're after Daily Puzzle 017 or Puzzle 17 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 017? below.
What Puzzle 017 is
| Name | Busted Umbrella (US), The Broken Brolly (UK) |
|---|---|
| Type | Multiple Choice |
| Picarats | 35 |
| Location | Kingsbrook Academy (the entrance hall), Stansbury |
| Chapter | Chapter 2 |
| When | Hershel's school days |
| How you find it | A hidden puzzle: tap the purple umbrella in the basket on the right side of the hall |
| Solved by | Young Hershel |
| Is it mandatory? | Probably not. The story doesn't seem to need it |
| Reward | None besides the picarats |
| Hints | Three hints and a Super Hint |
| Previous / next puzzle | 016 Wandering Watches (a hidden puzzle in the Classroom) / 018 That's Juicy! (a hidden puzzle in the Living Room) |
The question starts: "A friend of yours is having a bit of trouble in a shop." He explains, "A sudden gust of wind broke my umbrella!" and says he was hoping to buy a new one with the exact same design, but "All the umbrellas here look pretty similar, so it's hard to find one that matches my broken one." The puzzle ends, "Which umbrella should he pick?" The objective bar at the top of the touch screen sums it up as "Match the original!"
The five umbrellas look very much alike, and the broken one has been blown inside out by the wind.
Puzzle names
The North American version calls it Busted Umbrella, and the UK English version calls it The Broken Brolly. The UK text also words several lines differently and uses British spelling, such as "favourite" and "colours", but it shows the same umbrellas. The answer is the same in the US and UK English versions.
| Version | Puzzle name |
|---|---|
| North America | Busted Umbrella |
| UK | The Broken Brolly |
| Japanese | 同じ傘はどれ？ (Onaji Kasa wa Dore?, "which umbrella is the same?") |
The Japanese title is 同じ傘はどれ？. The North American version carries a different Japanese label for it, 傘のナゾ.
Wrong Puzzle 017?
- Daily Puzzle 017 in Miracle Mask is a separate puzzle: Streetlights 02, from the Bewitching Night set. It has nothing to do with umbrellas.
- Puzzle 17 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If yours doesn't show a broken umbrella and five umbrellas labeled A to E, you're in the wrong game.
- Puzzle 016, Wandering Watches, is the hidden puzzle in the Classroom next door. It's a Write Answer puzzle about clocks.
Where you get it
Puzzle 017 is in Chapter 2, the flashback to Hershel's time at Kingsbrook Academy in Stansbury. Once Mr. Collins's lesson is over and the game tells you to leave the school, you pass through the academy's entrance hall, with its statue in front of a double staircase. Look to the right side of the hall, beyond the potted plant: there's a blue basket with a purple umbrella in it, under the balcony. Tap the umbrella. Young Hershel says, "That umbrella has been lying there for years. I never thought I'd feel pity for an umbrella," and the puzzle starts.
If you quit the puzzle, Hershel says, "Well, no need to obsess over it." Tap the umbrella again and he says, "That umbrella is going to sit there forever," before the puzzle starts again. The umbrella should stay tappable in the hall until you solve the puzzle. If you leave Stansbury without it, it should turn up with Nanna Grams (known as Elizabeth in the UK version), who keeps the puzzles you missed, at the start of Chapter 3.
The entrance hall has three hint coins, all in the normal view, with no zoomed-in view to search: one on top of the shoe lockers on the left side of the hall, one on the head of the statue in the middle, and one on a ceiling lamp high up on the right side. Three coins pay for the first three hints, but not the Super Hint as well.
Hints, one at a time
These follow the game's own hints, in the same order, with a little more explanation. Open only the next one you need. In the game, Hints 1 to 3 cost one hint coin each and the Super Hint costs two.
Hint 1: Start with the handles
Compare the handles first. They're all J-shaped, but one of them is noticeably more angular than the broken umbrella's handle, so that umbrella is out. What else can you compare? Try the part of each umbrella just above the handle.
Hint 2: Above the handle, then the broken parts
Just above each handle there's a guard with a little decoration. One umbrella has no decoration there at all, so it can't be the match. On another you can't see the guard, so you can't rule it in or out that way. Now think about which parts of your friend's umbrella got the worst of the wind. Try counting them.
Hint 3: Count the spokes
One umbrella has far more spokes than the broken one, which leaves only B and E. You can make out white polka dots on the broken umbrella, but don't rule out B just because its colors look different. The rest of the broken umbrella's pattern could simply be hidden from view.
Super Hint: Look at the inside
Look at the broken umbrella again. Which part of it can you see the most of? The inside. Seen from there, you'd think the whole umbrella was patternless. Now compare B and E: which one looks completely different on the inside?
Answer and full solution
The answer below covers every step, with a picture of the solved puzzle. Open it when you're ready.
Show the answer
The answer is B. Umbrella B is the only one that matches the broken umbrella in every part you can check: the handle, the decoration above it, the number of spokes and the plain inside. The game's answer text sums it up: "A's handle is different, C's handle has no decoration, D has more spokes, and E has a design on the inside as well as the outside."
| Umbrella | What gives it away | Matches? |
|---|---|---|
| A | The handle is more angular than the broken umbrella's | No |
| B | Same handle, same decoration above it, same number of spokes, plain inside | Yes |
| C | No decoration above the handle | No |
| D | Far more spokes than the broken umbrella | No |
| E | Has a design on the inside as well as the outside, but the broken umbrella's inside is plain | No |
Step by step:
- Handles. All five are J-shaped, but A's is angular. Rule out A.
- Decoration above the handle. C has none. Rule out C. D's guard is hidden, so check it another way.
- Spokes. The wind broke the spokes, so count them. D has far more than the broken umbrella. Rule out D.
- The inside. The broken umbrella is inside out, and its inside is plain. E has a design on its inside too. Rule out E.
- Tap B. Its outside pattern looks different from the white dots you can glimpse on the broken one, but most of the broken umbrella's outside is hidden, so that doesn't count against it. Hershel decides, "I'll just leave the umbrella there. It's practically part of the scenery by now."
If your answer keeps failing:
- You picked E because it looks closest at a glance. Look at its inside. The broken umbrella's inside is plain, and E's isn't.
- You ruled out B because of its colors. The game's third hint warns about exactly this: the rest of the broken umbrella's pattern may just be out of sight.
- You picked D. Count the spokes. D has a lot more than the broken umbrella.
Picarats, hints and hint coins
Busted Umbrella shows 35 picarats when it starts. The puzzle can award 35, 28 or 21 picarats. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value, so it pays to compare every part before you tap. A wrong answer gets "Too bad," with the reminder, "If you look carefully, you'll spot the parts that are clearly different."
Hints cost hint coins, not picarats. The costs are one coin each for the first three hints and two for the Super Hint, five in total. The entrance hall's three coins cover the first three hints. Or use the free hints on this page and save your coins.
Versions
- Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS and New 3DS: no difference. You just tap a letter on the touch screen.
- US and UK English versions: same umbrellas, same answer. The UK English text calls the puzzle The Broken Brolly, words several lines differently and uses British spelling.
The scene around the puzzle
The puzzle is young Hershel's alone, set off by an old umbrella in the school's entrance hall (the lobby). Before it starts he says, "That umbrella has been lying there for years. I never thought I'd feel pity for an umbrella." When it's solved he leaves it be: "I'll just leave the umbrella there. It's practically part of the scenery by now." There's no reward besides the picarats.
FAQ
Where is the answer to Puzzle 017?
It's in the Answer and full solution section above, hidden until you open it. If you only want a push, open the hints one at a time first.
What is Puzzle 017 called?
Busted Umbrella in the North American version and The Broken Brolly in the UK English version. In Japanese it's 同じ傘はどれ？.
Where is Puzzle 017?
In the entrance hall of Kingsbrook Academy, during Chapter 2. After Mr. Collins's lesson, tap the purple umbrella in the basket on the right side of the hall.
I left the school without it. Is it gone?
Probably not. Missed puzzles like this one should turn up with Nanna Grams from the start of Chapter 3.
How many picarats is Puzzle 017 worth?
It shows 35 picarats when it starts. The puzzle can award 35, 28 or 21 picarats. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value.
Is Daily Puzzle 017 the same as Puzzle 017?
No. Daily Puzzle 017 is Streetlights 02, from the Bewitching Night set. Story Puzzle 017 is the broken umbrella.
More Miracle Mask puzzles
- Puzzle 001: Stumble's Balloons
- Puzzle 002: Where's Mother?
- Puzzle 003: Stumble's Banners
- Puzzle 004: Bumper Perspective
- Puzzle 005: Robot Factory
- Puzzle 006: Bunny-Hop Swap
- Puzzle 007: A Toasty Toast
- Puzzle 008: Carnival Colors
- Puzzle 009: Stamp Stumper
- Puzzle 010: The Place to Be!
- Puzzle 011: Backstage Blunder
- Puzzle 012: Sharing the Burden
- Puzzle 013: Ancient Arti-facts
- Puzzle 014: Bite of Bygone Days
- Puzzle 015: Fix the Fossil
- Puzzle 016: Wandering Watches
- Puzzle 018: That's Juicy!
- Puzzle 019: Spinning Maize
- Puzzle 020: Nine Red Bricks
- Puzzle 021: A Lick of Paint
- Puzzle 022: Poke 'Em Totems
- Puzzle 023: Fairway Fibber
- Puzzle 024: Patterned Apron
- Puzzle 025: Brave the Caves
- Puzzle 60: Dangerous Holes
- Puzzle 100: Gate to the Ruins!
- Puzzle 113: Chip Champions
- Puzzle 118: Evenly Matched 3
- Puzzle 122: Kitty Solitaire 3
For the rest of the game's puzzles, see the Miracle Mask puzzle index.